Hilo Toastmasters Club #248 meetings run from 12:10pm until 1:10pm Tuesdays. The format is usually the same for each meeting. 

The Sergeant at Arms-gives the nod to the Toastmaster who calls the meeting to order at 12:10pm.  

The Toastmaster-acts as master of ceremonies welcoming everyone to the meeting.  When guests are present the Toastmaster will acknowledge them.  The Toastmaster will provide a theme of the day for the meeting.  The Toastmaster is responsible for the flow of the meeting and having all roles filled before the meeting begins.  This is done in person, by email or on the phone.  The Toastmaster will set the tone for the meeting and introduce the featured the speakers as well as others.  The Toastmaster is requested to send out a brief post-meeting summary to all members, including a new member acknowledgement and their email addresses. 

The Wordmaster/Ah Counter-offers a printed word of the day with a definition for the speakers to learn and use.  If possible the word of the day should relate to the meeting theme.  We all try to use the word of the day.  A prepared form is used by the Wordmaster/Ah Counter to tally audible pauses (ah, um, you know) and the word of the day usage.  The Wordmaster/Ah Counter will be called back to give a verbal report toward the end of the meeting.  

The Jokemaster-presents a (clean) joke or humorous thought to keep us smiling.

The Featured Speakers-present prepared speeches from a variety of Toastmasters manuals with a specific learning goal in mind. The speaker picks the topic. Most speeches run 5-7 minutes, but may go longer as members continue developing their skills by using the advanced speech manuals. 

The Table Topicmaster-presents a variety of impromptu questions generally related to the meeting’s theme to help develop the ability to think on your feet and respond for 1-2 minutes. Many guests join the club to improve this skill.  Guests may be invited to participate but can decline.  Just sit back and watch. It’s fun!

The General Evaluator-calls on the evaluation team listed below, and at the end of the meeting evaluates the overall meeting.

The Evaluators-provide an oral (and written) evaluation of the featured speakers. In addition, the other members of the club are encouraged to give the speakers written evaluations. This is one of the best ways to improve your public speaking. You will get immediate feedback on the quality of your speech and helpful suggestions on how to improve. 

The Timer-keeps the meeting running on time with the use of a stopwatch, three signal cards (green, yellow, and red) and a prepared form for recording speaking segments.  The timer will give a verbal report on how much time was spent on each segment of the meeting. 

The Grammarian-is listening for noteworthy phrases, interesting expressions or unusual word usage as well as proper grammar.  The grammarian will give a short verbal report.

The Closing Philosophy-is a two minute speech related to the meeting’s theme designed to educate us or leave us inspired.